From all @ Christmas A GoGo!, a heartfelt Happy New Year! Thanks to all artists for providing us with brilliant songs, thanks to all visitors for stopping by and sending in tips. Hope to see y'all next November. Until then:
Monday, December 31, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
The bestest new Christmas track has a video too:
Want to download this one? It's on this great free compilation.
Want to download this one? It's on this great free compilation.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
For the eighth year in a row The Blues Are Still Blue Presents:
Christmas Compilation 2012 (download here)
001 Rufus Wainwright & Sharon Van Etten - Baby, It’s Cold Outside
002 Laura Marling - Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)
003 Allo Darlin- S P A C E Christmas
004 Dawn McCarthy & Bonnie “Prince” Billy - Christmas Eve Can Kill You
005 The White Stripes - Candy Cane Children
006 Brett Dennen - The Holidays Are Here (And We’re Still At War)
007 Yarn - Christmas Song
008 The xx - Last Christmas
009 Belle & Sebastian - Winter Wooskie
010 Best Coast & Wavves - Got Something for You
011 Calexico - Green Grows the Holly
012 Doug Paisley - Winter Days
013 Sufjan Stevens - Christmas in the room
014 Mandi Mapes & Wilder Adkins - On His Shoulders
015 Tellison - Good Luck It's Christmas
016 The Head and the Heart - What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve
017 Great Lake Swimmers - Hang a string of lights
018 The Veils - Sit Down by the Fire
019 Branches - Go Tell It On The Mountain
If you like it, you gan still download my mix of 2011.
Merry Christmas!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Another nice compilation is the second round up of seasonal songs by bands from (around) St. Louis, by radio stadion KDHX. Go here to check out free tracks by Deer Tick (!), Née and Rah Rah.
Here's something you'd want to see, a documentary on the seminal Christmas song 'Fairytale of New York'. It was broadcasted on Sunday, but it turns out this documentary is about 4 years old and you can watch it on YouTube as well (HERE).
From the BBC website:
"All eight members of the Pogues return to the studio where their biggest hit - and one of the nation's favourite Christmas songs - was recorded. Fairytale of New York's producer Steve Lillywhite strips the song down to the basics, and video director Peter Dougherty reveals the tricks behind the making of the video - including how a cameo from Hollywood star Matt Dillon stopped the Pogues from almost being arrested. With contributions from Matt Dillon, Nick Cave, Jools Holland and of course Shane MacGowan and the Pogues, this lifts the lid on the seminal track and reveals the secrets behind its making."
Here's a Spotify-list with 10 cover versions of Fairytale. Here's more (Pogues-)covers
Even More Covers and background.
From the BBC website:
"All eight members of the Pogues return to the studio where their biggest hit - and one of the nation's favourite Christmas songs - was recorded. Fairytale of New York's producer Steve Lillywhite strips the song down to the basics, and video director Peter Dougherty reveals the tricks behind the making of the video - including how a cameo from Hollywood star Matt Dillon stopped the Pogues from almost being arrested. With contributions from Matt Dillon, Nick Cave, Jools Holland and of course Shane MacGowan and the Pogues, this lifts the lid on the seminal track and reveals the secrets behind its making."
Here's a Spotify-list with 10 cover versions of Fairytale. Here's more (Pogues-)covers
Even More Covers and background.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, well, this is proof that the countdown to Christmas is paved with songs thrown together, albeit for a good cause.
The 'message' is that everyone is equal, no matter where they come from -- and I am sure they meant it -- but of course anything not typically white Dutch or ethnically accepted is painfully pointed out as being different, but equal. In other words, if we all love (soccer club) Ajax, we can all love each other. I'm a bit scared.
Chorus: We zijn Ajax = We are Ajax, the 'j' in Dutch is a 'y'.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Johan Hedberg is a member of Swedish twee pop duo Suburban Kids with Biblical Names. This is his funny Christmas song:
Go to this brilliant blog to download a whole bunch of fantastic Christmas compilations
From an extensive, free downloadable compilation comes this upbeat Christmas track:
Don't forget to check out this great snotty powerpop track as well!
Don't forget to check out this great snotty powerpop track as well!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
A Dutch gem! Found out about this one thx to Stubby, and to Lie in the Sound:
Download for free here.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Dutch 'nederbeat'-band The Kik did a great Dutch version of their English Christmas song on Dutch tv:
Download: La Position du tireur couché - Noël en juin (right click, save as)
Saturday, December 15, 2012
You probably heard about Jingle Bell Rocks, a documentary in the making about off-beat Christmas songs, the ones we're posting here for years. Santa Claus was a Black Man, Close your mouth (it's Christmas), etc. Film maker Mitchell Kezin needs your help, he needs money to finish his documentary. Go HERE to read more, to see an endorsement by the great John Waters, and how to donate. See HERE also.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Brilliant Captain Beefheart cover by Robyn Hitchcock, for one of the bestest Christmas comps of the year. Read more here. Spotify link here. Hat tip to SWO
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
This new track by the legendary Primitives is just one of a bunch of xmas choons from the great seasonal compilation by Spanish label Elefant Records. Go HERE for details
(Links via Santas Working Overtime)
Monday, December 10, 2012
The First Ornaments of Christmas is a live multimedia project from the brain/hand/pen/voice of Bentonville, AR Resident Bryce Napier and a surrounding group of artists. Defying easy categorization, the creators jokingly call it a Christmas-indie-classical-multimedia-rock-opera. In the live setting, the 11-piece band performs with narrative breaks between 11 songs. At the same time, animated footage plays on projectors overhead, illustrating the story being sung.
‘First Ornaments’ is a Christmas feast for the eyes and ears, helping viewers imagine the Christmas story like never before. Parents, children, art students, and music enthusiasts alike enjoy the beautifully-designed characters, the bright colors, and the imaginative sounds. The project was performed live 3 times in 2011 and 6 times in 2012.
The album features a studio recording of the entire production including music and narration.
More info here.
‘First Ornaments’ is a Christmas feast for the eyes and ears, helping viewers imagine the Christmas story like never before. Parents, children, art students, and music enthusiasts alike enjoy the beautifully-designed characters, the bright colors, and the imaginative sounds. The project was performed live 3 times in 2011 and 6 times in 2012.
The album features a studio recording of the entire production including music and narration.
More info here.
Sunday, December 09, 2012
Saturday, December 08, 2012
"Kishi Bashi is the pseudonym for violin virtuoso K Ishibashi. Having recorded, toured, and collaborated with diverse artists such as Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, and of Montreal, Kishi Bashi released his first full-length album "151a" in April 2012." So says this website. It was also the place where you could order this fantastic X-mas hymn on a snowflake shaped flexi disc (see clip), but alas, it's sold out :-(
Thursday, December 06, 2012
Last year, we posted 'I'm Not Really In The Christmas Mood This Year' by Foxtails Brigade. From their album (stream/buy on Bandcamp) they made an X-mas themed video to accompany Unfairness Awareness
FINALLY, a new funky Christmas choon, courtesy of one of Holland's finest funk combo's, The Soul Snatchers featuring Jimi Bellmartin.
If you go HERE, you find a download link for the song (bottom of the page).
It's actually the same band behind this great X-mas song, which was recently covered in Polish (!)
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
"A collection of your favorite Christmas songs, merrily reinterpreted with exotic cheer, unexpected instrumentations, and mischievous smirks". That's what Tribecastan offer on their Twisted Christmas EP.
In their own words: "On their first single, “God Rest Ye Three Kings,” Tribecastan takes us on a midnight joyride across the desert sands with a figgy pudding of hand drums, sitar, sarod, mandocello, brass and bulbul tarang. This tongue in cheek amalgam of yule tide spirit and holiday chutzpah is a change of pace from the standard seasonal-tunes of old."
The Twisted Chrismas EP is available on Bandcamp.
In their own words: "On their first single, “God Rest Ye Three Kings,” Tribecastan takes us on a midnight joyride across the desert sands with a figgy pudding of hand drums, sitar, sarod, mandocello, brass and bulbul tarang. This tongue in cheek amalgam of yule tide spirit and holiday chutzpah is a change of pace from the standard seasonal-tunes of old."
The Twisted Chrismas EP is available on Bandcamp.
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Jonathan Coulton & John Roderick made a Christmas album with ten (ok, one's a Chanukah song, so nine) Christmas tracks. Style-wise, they're swimming in the same pond as They Might Be Giants, Fountains of Wayne and Flight of the Conchords. Hear more here. See also this. 2600 is a song about a kid wanting an Atari 2600 really, REALLY bad.
Sunday, December 02, 2012
French star Olivia Ruiz just released a new album, featuring a Christmas song that's not really a Christmas song. Or is it?
British quartet Allo Darlin' made a really great seasonal EP. The titles seem un-Christmas-y, but listen to Only Dust Behind.
Gillian got a boost in popularity recently when American audiences discovered a cover version of her song 'Zou Bisou Bisou' on TV series Mad Men, Gillian's first single back in 1960.
Here's Gillian covering Bobby Helms' 'Jingle Bell Rock' in French, entitled 'La tête à l'envers', literally, 'My head upside down', which implies being dumbfounded by love.
Gillian Hills - La tête à l'envers
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